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Can Coconut Water Help Weight Loss?

Hi Natalie,

Some people I know claim that coconut water (coconut juice, buko juice or young coconut water) works wonders for weight loss while others think there's nothing spectacular about it. However, this refreshing beverage loaded with immune-boosting minerals and vitamins is good for you in many ways, even celebrities like Anne Hathaway, Heidi Klum, Madonna and Gisele Bundchen are said to be huge fans of the humble coconut water drink.

What I suggest is that you can use coconut water as a diet tool, but don't expect to see jaw-dropping results overnight. Remember, dieting is no walk in the park. The most important key to successful weight loss is a healthy diet along with an increased physical level.

What Does Coconut Water Do for You?

1. Coconut water contains a variety of minerals and nutrients that helps control blood sugar (glucose) levels leading to weight loss. If blood glucose levels are high, you're more likely to put on weight and losing those extra pounds is much harder.

2. Coconut water is suggested for dieting because it helps boost the metabolic rate of the body. Your metabolic rate will determine how hard or how easy for you to lose weight. An increased metabolic rate means you burn calories faster and pounds will drop quickly.

3. Coconut water is also helpful for people who find it hard to lose weight because of thyroid problems. Coconut water supports health thyroid function, which in turn leads to weight loss.

4. Being a natural diuretic, coconut water increases urine frequency and helps flush out toxins in the body. So if you're prone to water retention, coconut juice will help you to shed a bit of that water weight.

5. When taken in large quantities, coconut water has a laxative effect. Constipation can be one of the many reasons for unwanted weight gain. Your colon and intestine can hold at least ten pounds of waste (feces) built up over the course of time.

6. Coconut water has very little calories (46 calories per cup), no cholesterol and more electrolytes than any sports drink or energy drink. Hence, it's an excellent natural thirst quencher and help replenish the body with potassium, sodium and electrolytes that are lost through sweat. Use coconut water to replace soda drinks, which provides little nutrition and lots of empty calories.

7. Another bonus you get from drinking coconut water regularly is that it hydrates your skin, keeping it firm and supple. Research shows that cyctokinins (plant growth hormones) present in coconut water can have an anti-aging effect and help to minimize age spots and reduce wrinkles.

8. What's more, coconut water offers a host of other amazing health benefits – boost energy levels, reduce vomiting, a remedy for kidney stones, may help prevent and treat cataracts, and has antibacterial and antiviral properties.

Coconut water drinks are readily available in cans, bottles, or tetra packs at most supermarkets and health food stores. Some have added sugar, sweeteners, preservatives and colorings in them so read the label carefully before you purchase. Vita Coco is a good brand, 100% pure coconut water with no added sugar or preservatives and certified kosher by Star K Kosher Certification.

Of course, nothing is better than fresh juice from coconut. Go to your local Asian grocery store and look for skinned young (unripe) Thai coconuts shrink wrapped in cellophane. You will find its green husk chopped away to reveal a white exterior with a cone on top. Select one that feels heavy for its size, and sound full of sloshing liquid when shaken. Old coconuts usually do not have much water. Young coconut flesh is soft and jelly-like with a sweet nutty flavor. In older (ripe)coconuts, the jelly-like flesh has somewhat solidified to become firm coconut meat.

Note: Coconut water is NOT the same as coconut milk, which is the liquid squeezed and then strained from grated coconut meat simmered with water. According to Ruth Frechman, a spokeswoman for the American Dietetic Association, coconut milk in any form is fatty and has a high saturated fat content. For that reason, it's best you avoid using coconut milk in cooking – curries, sauces, desserts, drinks, etc.

By Diane Hanson

It's a constant argument between my husband and I – he says coconut water doesn't help weight loss and is a complete waste of money, but I've heard from friends that coconut water drinks can be good for dieting. I'm thinking of drinking coconut juice everyday to help me lose weight quickly and prove my husband wrong. So who's correct? Does coconut water help you to lose weight? – Natalie, California.

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